Blind-slat fastener



(No Model.) l

G. W. SOULE.

BLINDSLAT PASTENEB..

, N0.-z72,914. Patented Peb.2v,1s.

" NITED ,STATES GEORGE w. soULE, or

BLIND-SLAT MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI.

FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 272,914, dated February 27, 18823,.v

Application filed May 24, 1882.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE W. SoULE, ot Meridian, in the county of Lauderdale and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blind-Slat Fasteners or Wires; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in blind-Slat wires and the manner of connecting the blind-slats to the operating-rods, the object of the same being to provide devices that can be secured to the operating-rod and' blind-Slat and securely hold them together without danger of splitting either the slat or rod, as is now commonly done with the wires now in use.

A further object ot' my invention is to provide a device that will combinesimplicity and economy in .construction with durability and eiliciency in use; and with these ends in view my invention consists in certain details in construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully explained, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an enlarged perspective view, showing myimprovement secured to several slats of a window-blind. Fig. 2 is a side view of the operating-rod and a transverse sectional view ot' one slat, showing` the manner of connecting them together; and Fig. 3 is a view of one of the connecting-wires.

A represents the blind-slats, and B the operating-rod, secured thereto by the metallic wires G. These wires C, instead of being U- shaped throughout their entire length and secured respectively to the slats and rods by inserting them in the edges thereof, are made U shape throughout a portion of their length, and the two ends thereof are provided with either smoother roughened faces, and are bent inwardly at right angles to the two arms of the main portion ot' the wire. The two inwardly-turned arms a. of the wires C are separated sufficiently to allow either the edge of the operating-rod or the edge of a slat to be inserted between them. The wires can be se- (No model.)

l cured to the slats and rod by mechanism similar to that employed for securing the parts together with the old style of fasteners; butinstead ot inserting the ends ofthe fasteners in the edges of the slats and rod, the edges or sides of the slats and rod are inserted between the arms a of the wires U, and are secured therein by driving the said arms a directly into the iiat faces of the slat and side faces of the operating-rod, which iirmly holds the parts in position and prevents the wires from accidentally working loose. When the wires C are once inserted in either the slat or rod they are securely' held therein, and considerably more lforce is required to displace the same than is ever exerted while operating the blind.

In the old style of fasteners the arms of the U-shaped fasteners` are simply inserted in the edge of the blind-Slat and operating-rod, and are liable at any time to work loose, and very often split the wood during the operation of driving them in position; but by the use of my improvement, when the rod and slats are once secured together, the dangerof the parts working loose is obviated, while the danger of splitting the parts during the operation of driving them in position is avoided, as there is no necessity for the ends ot' the wires penetrating the slats or rod as deeply as is now necessary with the old style.

The relative position of my improved wires with the slats and operating-rod is just reversed from those now used-that is to say, instead ot' the two arms of the wire secured to the blind-Slat lying in the same horizontal plane, they lie in the same vertical plane; and instead of the arms et' the wires securedV to the operatingrodresting in a vertical plane, they lie in a horizontal plane. This latter construction refers to window-blinds where the slats rest in a horizontal position and the operating-rod in a vertical position. It' the slats should run in a vertical position and the operating-rod ina horizontal line, as seen in Venetian or inside blinds, then the arms of the connecting-wires would rest in reverse positions from those above described.

My improved wires can be secured to the blinds by any suitable machinery best suited for the purpose; or the machines used for se- IOO 'curing' the old styles of fasteners in position can be used without making much alteration in their structure.

My improvement is simple in construction, is strong and durable in use, can be manufactured at a small initial cost, and will last longer and make a stronger blind than can be con structed with the present style of fasteners.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by lLetters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the operating-rod and blind-slats, of a U-shaped wire provided with inwardly-turned ends, which latter are adapted to be inserted into the opposite faces of the said slats, and afford means for connecting the saine to the operating-rod.

2. The combination, with the operating-rod and blindfslats, of U-shaped wires provided with inwardly-turned ends, which latter are adapted to be inserted into the opposite faces of the said slats, and similarlyconstructed Wires secured in a similarmanner to the operating-rod at right angles to the wires on the blind-slats, the wires of theblind-siats and operating-rod heilig linked together, as shown. 3. As a new article of manufacture, U- sliaped wires provided with inwardly-turned ends, by means of which they are secured in 

